


Kinesis

by scarecrowstories



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 20:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18901975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarecrowstories/pseuds/scarecrowstories
Summary: During the early years of their century together, the IPRE crew bond over many different activities. One of those activities was to sing and dance together on the deck of the ship, chasing what little joy they could find.





	Kinesis

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't get the image out of my mind of them having this kind of bonding activity! I love them so much! I want them to be happy!!!! 
> 
> The song that inspired me to write this is another by The Oh Hellos because I've just fallen so in love with them. Please go listen to Thus Always To Tyrants, and that's the vibe I'm going for here.
> 
> Joy is hard to find, and it's okay if it's just not there sometimes, but you'll find it again, I promise.

During their time on the Starblaster, they found joy wherever they could. One of the earliest bonding activities they had was to play music and dance together, taking turns singing songs from their home. A guitar was acquired during one of the first cycles, and they passed it around, clumsily plucking out notes while their friends danced and sang, letting the horrors fade to the background if only for an evening.

Lucretia was dancing with Lup, the two of them laughing and smiling as they spun around the deck of the ship, hands clasped together. Davenport was strumming the guitar while Taako and Merle clapped a rhythmic beat, encouraging them onward with delighted cheers. Magnus and Barry sang in not-quite-harmony together, grinning at one another whenever one of them missed a note or a word.

It was easy to forget how stressful their lives had become when they passed an evening in this manner. Lup twirled over to her brother and grabbed him by the hands, spinning him around before dipping him close to the ground dramatically. Having brought him back up, she pushed him towards Lucretia and took his seat, immediately joining Merle's rhythmic clapping as the dance shifted.

Taako was as graceful as Lup, but not as attentive to his dance partner. Instead of holding Lucretia's hands and moving together, Taako danced like a challenge; Lucretia was more than willing to compete. The two began to dance more energetically, doing more impressive moves as their friends cheered them on. When she was too tired to keep showing off, Lucretia waved a hand dismissively at Taako and moved to sit back down.

At that cue, the twins linked arms and started singing the next round of songs, the guitar passing to Lucretia as Merle and Davenport took to the dance floor. Davenport was clumsy on his feet, but was determined to be taken seriously; in contrast, Merle was a natural. 

It wasn't often that they were able to have a night like this. As soon as one of them died, there was no more dancing or singing. It didn't feel right if any of them were missing, even though they knew they'd be back. And as the cycles wore on, that was happening more and more. By the time they arrived at the Legato Conservatory they had all but lost their music.

After Barry and Lup's performance, they agreed to make time for bringing that tradition back. For a decade it worked, where they had at least one night a month set aside for celebrating their continued existence. The looming Hunger threatened them more each year, but still they sought the kinetic joy that allowed them to bond so many decades earlier. 

Their songs were more varied, now, carrying refrains from long dead worlds. Their dancing was more desperate, a way for their limbs to shake off their accumulated terror and grief. None of them needed to say anything for this change to be understood. It wasn't uncommon for one of them to be crying throughout the evening, their attempts at recapturing that earlier joy slipping further and further away.

There was no music in the last decade of their journey. They were haggard, focusing solely on their mission. Gone were the evenings spent delighting in one another, all distractions they could no longer afford as they ran from the dooming pall ever at their backs. No victory felt significant enough to warrant celebration anymore in the face of all their failures. Not even in their final cycle could they find it in themselves, with the fragmented light of creation scattered throughout the lands and securing their relative safety.

And then, of course, their family had been torn apart.

When they are finally brought back together at the end of the world, those long-forged bonds stir once more. In the wake of their victory, they find themselves surrounded by a love and joy they'd long forgotten. So much had changed that it was as if they would have to get to know one another all over again.

And so they dance.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think about this piece!


End file.
